Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald was called for a penalty on this tackle of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr during a season-opening game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Monday, September 10, 2018 in Oakland. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

THOUSAND OAKS – Aaron Donald managed a thin smile, which should make the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback and offensive linemen nervous.

“I’ll be better next week,” Donald said. “I’ll be more productive, because I didn’t do much today.”

Donald said that after Monday’s game, in which he recorded only one tackle and, oh, by the way, served as the centerpiece of a Rams defense that decimated Oakland in the second half of a 20-point victory.

Less than two weeks after he signed a massive six-year contract extension with the Rams, Donald looked solid but, by his own lofty standards, made few splashy plays. If 2017 can serve as a model, Donald likely will be in top form soon, perhaps as early as Sunday’s game against the Cardinals at the Coliseum.

“For the first game back, I feel like him,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said Thursday before the Rams’ practice at Cal Lutheran. “I want him to be better and he wants to do better, but he’s still a great football player. (The Raiders) had a rough time trying to keep him out of there.”

Purely from a statistical standpoint, Donald’s self-criticism was accurate. Never once last season did Donald fail to record multiple tackles in a game, but that’s not exactly the full story.

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The Raiders made a point of getting throwing the ball quickly, which meant quarterback Derek Carr didn’t hold the ball long. Carr rarely looked comfortable when he had to hold the ball more than a couple seconds, and the Rams’ pass rush pressured him into three interceptions and a few more throwaways.

Donald said Thursday that, given a couple days to reflect, he didn’t want to soften his self-assessment.

“I still feel I could have played better,” Donald said. “I’ll always going to be my worst critic. That’s about just pushing myself to get better. Each week, I’ll get better. Each day, I’ll get better.”

After he missed all of the offseason program, training camp and preseason because of the contract dispute, Donald returned to the Rams on Aug. 31 and got in six game-week practices. That’s not much, after a long time away from the team, but Donald said he felt like he was in game shape.

“I was,” Donald said. “I just have to rush better and do things better. I’m second-guessing myself on certain things. I just have to keep playing football and I’ll get better.”

That’s the scary part. This happened last year. After a similarly lengthy holdout during the 2017 offseason, Donald missed the season opener. In his first game back, he had only two tackles, but then he recorded five sacks in his next seven games.

The attention the Raiders had to pay to Donald and Ndamukong Suh helped to free up lineman Michael Brockers, who recorded a sack, and Donald also nearly got on the ledger.

In the first quarter, Donald lunged and sacked Oakland quarterback Derek Carr but was called for roughing the passer. Donald said an official told him the flag was for hitting Carr’s knees.

“Not much you can do when you’re falling,” Donald said, “but it is what it is.”

INJURY REPORT

Linebacker Mark Barron did not practice Thursday, which made it doubtful that he will be able to play Sunday. Barron still is attempting to recover from offseason Achilles surgery.

Per usual, veteran players such as offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan received a mid-week rest day.

WHERE ARE THEY?

The Rams’ offense totaled 33 points and 365 yards, but surprisingly, quarterback Jared Goff did not target a tight end with any of his 33 pass attempts.

Rams coach Sean McVay, in his previous job as Washington’s offensive coordinator, was known for his use of tight ends. Never once last season did the Rams fail to target a tight end in a game, and they had as many as 11 targets in a game in 2017 (against Seattle).

McVay indicated that because the Rams largely avoided difficult third-down situations, they were able to use Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett in blocking roles.

“That’s definitely not something that we want to make a habit of,” McVay said. “We always talk about using all five eligibles, spreading the field and making sure that everybody has got to be accounted for.”

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Dominique Easley started at outside linebacker against the Raiders and played 30 snaps, while Matt Longacre played 22 snaps. They shared a spot in the defense opposite Samson Ebukam, and Phillips indicated that a rotation could continue for a while.

“It’s something we’ve done before,” Phillips said. “They’re still two different looks, as far as the players. I think it’s hard on the offensive guys sometimes, to play against two different players. They’re both, I think, going to be good players for us, and that’s what you want.”

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.